Trace-carrier.



N0- 856,639. PATENTED JUNE 11, 1907. 0. B. HITGHGOGK & J. L. WILSON.

TRACE CARRIER.

APPLICATION rmm JAN. 26. 1907.

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ORION B. HITOHCOOK, OF HORTON, KANSAS, AND JAMES L. WILSON, OF

. ST. JOSEPH, MISSOURI.

TRACE-CARRIER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 11, 1907.

Application filed January 26, 1907. Serial No. 354,306.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, ORION B. Hrren- 000K and JAMES L. WILSON, citizens of the United States, residing at, respectively, Horton, Brown county, Kansas, and St. Joseph, in the county of Buchanan and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trace-Carriers and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The object sought by us in this invention is to 'provide a device in which, when a horse is harnessed, but unhitched, the ends of the traces can be quickly and securely fastened in a trace carrier, thus preventing their dropping and dragging on the ground or under the feet of the horse. WVe secure our object by means of a supporting frame provided with a coupling bar, projected arms thereto, and detents carried in said projections, the taper ends of which, by reason of the position of the detents on the frame and their peculiar formation are constantly in contact with the frame. We accomplish our object by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a plan of the trace carrier with harness straps, broken away, attached, and the end of one trace looped by its cockeye in one of the trace carrier detents; Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation of the trace carrier; Fig. 3 is a perspective of one of the detents, and Fig. 4 is a perspective detail of a detent showing the way it is pivotally carried between two supporting arms by a pin through its lugs.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in the several views.

A represents the elongated base of a skeleton frame; B B are loop bars, and C O arched bars thereon; D is a coupling bar provided with duplicate horizontal arms E E at each end; these arms project horizontally outward beyond said arched bars and are provided with opposite perforations (Z (Z adapted to carry rods or pins cl (1; H H are detents each provided with an outer lug I having a perforation 11 corresponding with perforations d (6 through which its detent is supported on a pin d. The body of the detent is entirely backward of said lug, said lug and body practically filling the space between said projecting duplicate arms. The tops of said detents extend above the horizontal of the coupling pin and arched bars forming thumb pieces II II by which to manipulate the detents. The lower taper ends K Ii of said detents are curved outwardly, and by reason of such curved formation, the lugs set outward of the body of the detents, and the enlarged and weighted body and thumb pieces ofthe detents being always on a line backward of the vertical line of said pins d (6, said taper ends are normally and automatically kept in contact with loop bars B B.

The trace carrier is adapted to be supported above a fender on top the hips of a horse, this fender being omitted from the accompanying illustrations in order to allow a clearer view of the construction of the device. As shown in Fig. 1, L L are harness hip straps, broken away, attached to the base of the frame; M is a turn-back and J a crupper, both broken away and also attached to the frame; 0 is an end of one of the traces and O the cockeye thereof. This cockeye is shown in engagement with one of the detents. In attaching the cockeye to the detents, each cockeye is held in a vertical position and dropped or pressed lightly down into the curve of the taper end of the detent this will press the detent back and out of engagement with said loopedbar B, allowing the cockeye to pass down; as the lower curve of the cockeye passes below the taper end of the detent, said taper end instantly and automatically swings through the eye of the cockeye back into engagement with said looped bar B, and the cockeye is thus held securely in attachment with said detent until, by touch of thumb or finger or both upon the thumb piece, the taper end is pressed backward and the cockeye drops out of engagement therewith and may be withdrawn.

It will be understood from the foregoing description and the illustrations herewith filed, that the improvements in our trace carrier consist mainly, first; in the peculiar form of the detent consisting of the forward lug through which it is pivoted and the enlarged body and thumb piece on a line back of the vertical of the pivot, by which construction almost the entire weight is back of the vertical line of said pivot, thus keeping the taper end out in contact with said looped bar B of the frame, and second: by the duplicate projecting arms E E at each end of coupling bar D, whereby it is made possible to support the detent by pivot through the forward lug and throw the weight of the enlarged body of the detent and its thumb piece back of the vertical line of the pivot and at the same time leave'the taper end of the detent normally in contact with looped bar B.

What we claim and desire to obtain by Letters Patent is,

1. In a trace carrier the combination with a base, loop and arch bars and a coupling bar, of duplicate sets of arms projecting outwardly from said arch bars and duplicate detents, each consisting of a body, an outwardly curved taper end, a thumb piece and a lug forward of the body of the detent provided with a perforation by which the detent is pivoted within the space between the arms, substantially as set forth and shown.

2. In a trace carrier provided with loop and arch bars, duplicate horizontal arms projecting oppositely outward from said arch bars, pivots carried by said arms, and detents, each consisting of an enlarged body, a thumb piece, a lower taper end and a lug forward of the body carried by one of said pivots, the weight of the detents being thus backward of the pivoted center and the taper ends borne forward into contact with said loop bars, substantially as set forth and shown.

In testimony whereof, we aflix our signatures, in presence of two witnesses.

ORION B. HITOHCOOK.

JAMES L. WILSON.

Witnesses:

LEwIs FAIR, 0. II. GRUBBs. 

